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Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
The AI drone revolution isn't here yet, but Ukraine and Russia are laying the groundwork in battle
Ukraine and Russia are working on implementing artificial intelligence into their drones. But both sides face challenges in mass-deploying that capability, recent research says. There has been some limited use of AI in drones on the battlefield, but it's mostly machine learning. The drone war in Ukraine remains largely human-operated for now. We're seeing glimpses of the future, but we're not there yet. Ukraine and Russia are experimenting with artificial intelligence-enabled drones, but total autonomy and full-scale deployment remain limited in combat, researchers say. AI-enabled autonomy in uncrewed systems has the potential to significantly impact how drones are used on the battlefield, reducing the strain on human operators, bypassing electronic warfare and signal jamming, and speeding up the targeting and decision-making process. It can also analyze data and adapt in real time, which is advantageous in combat. Kateryna Bondar, a fellow in the Center for Strategic and International Studies Wadhwani AI Center, reported in March that autonomy, a system's ability to independently operate in complex environments with limited supervision, isn't "yet present on the battlefield in the war in Ukraine." A new report from Institute for the Study of War expert Kateryna Stepanenko explains that "neither Russia nor Ukraine has leveraged AI/ML drones on the battlefield at scale as of early June 2025," referring to artificial intelligence and machine learning. The report notes that both sides are "increasingly integrating ML capabilities with some limited AI adaptations into new drone variants on the path to developing fully AI/ML-powered drones." Drones that use machine learning, even with some AI, still largely require involvement from an operator. Machine learning could enable the drones to perform pre-programmed tasks, but they lack the autonomy a true AI capability would provide. Ukrainian forces have observed Russia flying drone swarms that rely on visual terrain navigation — which uses onboard cameras and maps instead of vulnerable GPS — and can autonomously detect and select targets without operator input. Late last month, Ukraine said it deployed an AI-enabled "mother drone" that can autonomously send first-person view drones to strike targets. And the Security Service of Ukraine reported that the uncrewed systems used in its Operation Spiderweb attack against Russian aircraft at military airbases earlier this month switched to using AI to complete their mission if they lost signal with the operator. The security service said this was done using AI algorithms and manual operator intervention. Bondar's report in March on drones said that the attack systems equipped with AI are three to four times more likely to hit their target than drones piloted solely by humans. But has the revolution come? One commander of another drone unit said last fall that he expected AI-enabled drones that didn't need a pilot to be on the battlefield within six months. That future is not here just yet. Earlier this year, a front-line Ukrainian drone unit told Business Insider that AI-enabled drones weren't being widely used yet. The war has become a proving ground for cheap drones and emerging technology; however, turning prototypes into a scalable, battlefield-ready AI fleet will require data, chips, and coordination that neither side fully has at the moment. For Russia, Stepanenko wrote, further development of these important combat capabilities will depend on gathering, storing, and managing battlefield data to train the AI for missions, as well as, critically, sorting out how best to identify enemy drones from friendly ones. Ukraine has already been working on the latter with situational awareness systems like Delta and Kropyva, which Stepanenko reported are similar to the command and control systems the US Department of Defense has envisioned. Delta, for example, gives Ukrainian forces across branches and command levels coordinated intelligence from a variety of different systems, including drones, sensors, frontline reconnaissance, and satellites. In attempting to overcome the broader development challenges, though, Russia struggles with the centralization of drone innovation and production under the government in a way that could hinder advancement. Ukraine, on the other hand, is struggling with resources. Ukraine also faces problems with a lack of government coordination, computing power, and sustainment. Amid these challenges, Ukraine's drone developers have nonetheless become a model for the rest of the world. Companies are working closely with front-line forces to meet their needs, effectively creating relatively low-cost systems at scale that push the envelope in new capabilities, such as drone swarm technology. But in the meantime, more testing and investment are needed by both sides in this war before autonomous, AI-enabled systems really make their mark on the battlefield. The anticipated changes they could bring, though, would likely overhaul how drone warfare is fought. Ukraine's Typhoon drone unit told BI that once they became prolific on the battlefield, they'd completely change how operators use drones for reconnaissance and strike missions on enemy personnel, positions, and equipment, as well as against aerial targets. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business Insider
The AI drone revolution isn't here yet, but Ukraine and Russia are laying the groundwork in battle
Ukraine and Russia are working on implementing artificial intelligence into their drones. But both sides face challenges in mass-deploying that capability, recent research says. There has been some limited use of AI in drones on the battlefield, but it's mostly machine learning. The drone war in Ukraine remains largely human-operated for now. We're seeing glimpses of the future, but we're not there yet. Ukraine and Russia are experimenting with artificial intelligence-enabled drones, but total autonomy and full-scale deployment remain limited in combat, researchers say. AI-enabled autonomy in uncrewed systems has the potential to significantly impact how drones are used on the battlefield, reducing the strain on human operators, bypassing electronic warfare and signal jamming, and speeding up the targeting and decision-making process. It can also analyze data and adapt in real time, which is advantageous in combat. Not quite autonomous and not being used at scale Kateryna Bondar, a fellow in the Center for Strategic and International Studies Wadhwani AI Center, reported in March that autonomy, a system's ability to independently operate in complex environments with limited supervision, isn't "yet present on the battlefield in the war in Ukraine." A new report from Institute for the Study of War expert Kateryna Stepanenko explains that "neither Russia nor Ukraine has leveraged AI/ML drones on the battlefield at scale as of early June 2025," referring to artificial intelligence and machine learning. The report notes that both sides are "increasingly integrating ML capabilities with some limited AI adaptations into new drone variants on the path to developing fully AI/ML-powered drones." Drones that use machine learning, even with some AI, still largely require involvement from an operator. Machine learning could enable the drones to perform pre-programmed tasks, but they lack the autonomy a true AI capability would provide. Not an AI revolution, at least not yet Ukrainian forces have observed Russia flying drone swarms that rely on visual terrain navigation — which uses onboard cameras and maps instead of vulnerable GPS — and can autonomously detect and select targets without operator input. Late last month, Ukraine said it deployed an AI-enabled "mother drone" that can autonomously send first-person view drones to strike targets. And the Security Service of Ukraine reported that the uncrewed systems used in its Operation Spiderweb attack against Russian aircraft at military airbases earlier this month switched to using AI to complete their mission if they lost signal with the operator. The security service said this was done using AI algorithms and manual operator intervention. Bondar's report in March on drones said that the attack systems equipped with AI are three to four times more likely to hit their target than drones piloted solely by humans. But has the revolution come? One commander of another drone unit said last fall that he expected AI-enabled drones that didn't need a pilot to be on the battlefield within six months. That future is not here just yet. Earlier this year, a front-line Ukrainian drone unit told Business Insider that AI-enabled drones weren't being widely used yet. The war has become a proving ground for cheap drones and emerging technology; however, turning prototypes into a scalable, battlefield-ready AI fleet will require data, chips, and coordination that neither side fully has at the moment. For Russia, Stepanenko wrote, further development of these important combat capabilities will depend on gathering, storing, and managing battlefield data to train the AI for missions, as well as, critically, sorting out how best to identify enemy drones from friendly ones. Ukraine has already been working on the latter with situational awareness systems like Delta and Kropyva, which Stepanenko reported are similar to the command and control systems the US Department of Defense has envisioned. Delta, for example, gives Ukrainian forces across branches and command levels coordinated intelligence from a variety of different systems, including drones, sensors, frontline reconnaissance, and satellites. In attempting to overcome the broader development challenges, though, Russia struggles with the centralization of drone innovation and production under the government in a way that could hinder advancement. Ukraine, on the other hand, is struggling with resources. Ukraine also faces problems with a lack of government coordination, computing power, and sustainment. Amid these challenges, Ukraine's drone developers have nonetheless become a model for the rest of the world. Companies are working closely with front-line forces to meet their needs, effectively creating relatively low-cost systems at scale that push the envelope in new capabilities, such as drone swarm technology. But in the meantime, more testing and investment are needed by both sides in this war before autonomous, AI-enabled systems really make their mark on the battlefield. The anticipated changes they could bring, though, would likely overhaul how drone warfare is fought. Ukraine's Typhoon drone unit told BI that once they became prolific on the battlefield, they'd completely change how operators use drones for reconnaissance and strike missions on enemy personnel, positions, and equipment, as well as against aerial targets.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Artificial intelligence is going to make drone wars much more deadly. It's already started.
A new report details how artificial intelligence is changing drone warfare. With AI enhancements, the chances of a successful strike improve dramatically. Ukrainian drone operators have said that this technology has the potential to be a game-changer. Drones equipped with AI are flying into battle in Ukraine and are three to four times more likely to hit their target than drones piloted solely by humans, a Ukraine war researcher reports. Although artificial intelligence-enhanced drones are not fully autonomous, Ukraine sees them as potential game-changers. The technology is rapidly evolving as Kyiv aims to replace soldiers on the battlefield with uncrewed systems, reducing the cost of war in human lives. AI-enabled autonomous drones are a priority. Last September, a Ukrainian drone unit commander said developments in autonomy might soon eliminate the need for drone pilots altogether. Kateryna Bondar, Center for Strategic and International Studies Wadhwani AI Center fellow, wrote in a new report published Thursday that, as of now, the "deployment of AI is partial in scope, enhancing certain functions and addressing some operational challenges rather than enabling full system autonomy." Autonomy in drone navigation and targeting is making a major impact, improving drone strikes and making them three to four times more likely to succeed, or an increase from 10 to 20 percent to around 70 to 80 percent, Bondar said. Ukraine purchased roughly 10,000 AI-enhanced drones in 2024. Overall, it acquired about 2 million drones, meaning that most of the drones Ukraine is using to fight off the Russians are still entirely controlled by human operators. The AI drones are largely limited to final-approach navigation, but they're proving their worth. These systems demand far less skill from pilots, can bypass electronic warfare that could sever the drone's connection to the operator, and reduce the number of drones necessary for mission success. Bondar said only two drones could do what might otherwise take eight or nine. All of this is being expedited by Ukraine's drone developers, who are constantly working on new adaptations in both software and hardware to problems seen on the battlefield. Operations like Ukraine's special drone unit, Typhoon, are also helping to push drone innovation forward across the armed forces. Kyiv's government, too, is pushing for a wider adoption of autonomy and AI, which would allow for continued development and additional purchases. Ukraine has seen particular success in adapting small- and medium-sized first-person-view drones for diverse missions thanks to interchangeable equipment and flexible designs. This ultimately means these drones can shift from surveillance operations to strikes. Interchangeability in hardware and software is key, Ukrainian drone companies have said, in order to make the systems cheap, scalable, and flexible to countermeasures. Bondar noted that Ukraine has been training small AI models on small datasets to avoid overloading the limited processing power available from small, inexpensive chips. Doing so offers the flexibility to adapt quickly to an ever-changing battlespace. There are opportunities in AI. In her report, Bondar said that advancements in AI-enabled automated target recognition have led to drones with the ability to lock onto targets up to two kilometers away in optimal conditions. Unfazed by fatigue or stress, AI also has the potential ability to see through evasion tactics, such as camouflage and decoys that might trick a human eye. These developments will make drone warfare significantly more deadly as the technology advances, making it easier to field and operate at scale for greater effect. True autonomy and artificial intelligence in weapons technology are of interest to top militaries. The US, for instance, has been taking notes on drone warfare in Ukraine, spurring developments in integrating AI and drone technologies. But there are real concerns in this space, ethical worries and fears of creating so-called "killer robots." Bondar wrote that although the Ukrainians seek autonomy to improve operational effectiveness, "engagement decisions remain squarely in the human domain." She said that the "current human-in-the-loop practices allow operators to override autonomous functions, ensuring critical ethical and strategic judgments remain under human control. Read the original article on Business Insider
